Shared Secrets (Rewrite)
by Simply Alexei
Summary: Orochimaru didn't want just the sharingan. No, that would be too risky. He needed a backup plan, just in case the Uchiha didn't feel like cooperating. Luckily for him, Sasuke conveniently had another Doujutsu user assigned to his team, and she would do quite splendidly. AU. SasuHina. Rewrite.
1. Uchiha, Sasuke

**Alexei: I recently went back and reread many of my old stories, and aside from horrible typos and bad grammar surrounding me from all sides, my fic, "Shared Secrets," dug a particularly annoying hole into my soul, and thus, I decided to rewrite it. I took the first couple chapters and edited them, but it still didn't seem right, and such is the life of an author. Eventually, I came to this single conclusion; I just had to start over. Now, the story is completely scrapped, apart from several key plot points, and I am starting from the beginning, Chapter three in the manga to be exact, with the introduction of Uchiha Sasuke.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned, it wouldn't be on this site, now would it?**

**Chapter 1 - "Uchiha, Sasuke"**

**This Chapter Follows: Chapter 3 of the manga**

_III_

Naruto was grinning ear to ear, looking as smug as a twelve year old possibly could. It caused his tan, whisker-indented cheeks to raise and his cerulean eyes to crinkle, appearing almost as if they were shut completely. He chuckled quietly to himself, and I couldn't seem to tear my gaze away from the aura of happiness that surrounded him.

I sat three rows ahead of my goofy classmate, turning most of my body to enable myself to see him without using any chakra draining jutsu's. Not that I knew that many. I was leaning so that my side was pressed against the back of my chair, resting my chin on my top of my forearms and giving a small smile at his joyous expression. I didn't have to worry about catching his gaze, because he never payed any attention to me, anyway. Most people didn't.

"Naruto," A classmate of ours clambered up to his seat and interrupted his solitary happiness. "What the hell are you doing here? Only those who passed the exam are supposed to be here." It was true that last we had all heard Naruto hadn't even come close to passing the required exam to graduate from the academy, but nonetheless, there he sat. Not that that was a _bad_ thing. I was certainly happy for him.

"Hey hey," Naruto greeted the boy like it was the most normal thing in the world; like the entire class didn't exclude, bully or just ignore him everyday. "Can't you see this forehead protector?"

Before he could answer, a sugary sweet voice floated past their ears, causing them to pique with interest..

"Hey," she said, catching the attention of the two adolescent males, as well as that of their surrounding peers. "Will you let me through."

A flaming blush blossomed across Naruto's face, concentrating along the apples of his cheeks. I could see the hearts in his eyes as she approached and a surprised smile fought its way through his lips.

Haruno, Sakura; a classmate of ours. She was the girl that Naruto had a crush on, and with her emerald green eyes and rich, rose pink hair this was no surprise, really. She was talkative and outgoing, as well as smart and attractive. She was essentially the perfect catch. Any guy would be lucky to have her, and Naruto wanted to be that guy.

"Naruto," Her voice flitted around the room like a pixie, reaching every corner as she pointed at the blond haired boy. "Move your ass! I want to sit on the other side of you!"

Naruto's happy face fell to one of annoyance as he turned his gaze to the boy residing on his other side: the reason Sakura wanted to _sit_ on that side.

Uchiha, Sasuke; the most popular boy in class. Though honestly, he seemed a bit scary and unpredictable to me. He was dark, not only in his looks but his attitude as well. His onyx, spiky hair and simple navy shirt seemed to accentuate his seclusive and brooding demeanor with their dark colors.

The boy payed no attention as Naruto sat fuming beside him, his tan hands twitching as if imagining squishing Sasuke's head between them. It wasn't long, however, before the Uchiha glanced over.

"What?" Even his voice was dark, too shadowed with repressed annoyance for his young age.

"What do you mean, what?!" Naruto yelled, drawing the attention of the rest of the class. I flinched a bit. He really did have a loud voice, but it seemed ten times louder as the room quieted.

Sasuke didn't seem to feel like answering which wasn't a problem, as Sakura literally climbed over the blond to get to the boy she liked, making it hard for him to argue.

"Sasuke-kun!" She squealed, her foot squishing into Naruto's cheek. "Can I sit next to you?!"

It was only moments before Naruto's mood was at an all time low, for the day at least. He sat with his chin on his desk, glaring the Uchiha and his pink-haired fangirl. I felt empathetic of him. All he wanted was a tiny bit of attention from his long time crush, and all he got was a scandal in the face.

I sighed, turning my attention to Sakura. She had hearts in her eyes, a similar expression to what Naruto had exhibited toward her. She, however, was staring at Sasuke, who seemed to have no interest in her, or anyone, at all.

I let my eyes wander over to the third of the trio, the ever silent Sasuke, and was surprised as my gaze met a pair of the darkest eyes I had ever seen. I blushed, blinking and turning back around in my seat.

Obviously, it was a fluke that Sasuke and I locked eyes. He eyes must have been wandering as well and passed over me the moment mine did him, or maybe he saw me staring at Naruto and was wondering what was wrong with me to so creepily watch someone. I didn't think I was being that obvious. I blushed, shaking my head and fidgeting. No one ever looked at me. No one.

I sighed quietly to myself, hiding in the large folds of my jacket and trying to disappear.

"Starting today, all of you are real shinobi." I looked up to see Iruka appear at the front of the classroom in a puff of smoke, several papers in his hands.

_That must be the list of teams, _I deduced. _I don't think we get graduation certificates. I'm pretty sure that's what the headbands represent._

"However," Iruka continued, bringing me out of my thought. "You are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has only just started. You will soon be getting missions to help the village, but before that I will be assigning you to a three man team. To head each of these teams will be a jounin sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions in order to successfully complete your missions." It was as I expected it to be. I had trained the last seven years of my life to become a shinobi, and now it was finally happening. I didn't know whether to squeal like Sakura or faint like... well, myself.

I wondered who's team I would be on. I didn't really know many people in class, aside from the obviously popular or, in Naruto's case, infamous ones, and I didn't really have any friends. Sometimes people greeted me in the hallways, but generally everyone just avoided me because I was different. There was an invisible wall the separated me from them on a social standing. I was a Hyuuga: A member of the most powerful clan in our village. Not only was I a Hyuuga, I was the Hyuuga heiress.

And it was pretty lonely.

"-And Hyuuga, Hinata."

I glanced up as I heard my name being called by the man I called sensei. "Huh?"

I didn't want to admit I hadn't been paying attention, that I had in fact been moping unjustly, and luckily Iruka seemed to sense that. "You're apart of team 7," he repeated for me.

Seven... Seven wasn't a bad number, I had heard that some even considered it a lucky number. I wondered who else I was teamed with.  
"Iruka Sensei!" I flinched as Naruto's booming voice sounded behind me. "Why does an outstanding shinobi like myself have to be on the same team as a prick like Sasuke and a freaky Hyuuga?!"

Freaky Hyuuga? That was me, right? I was on the same team as Naruto?

I smiled. He was my inspiration to be stronger, and a warm feeling spread across my chest at the idea of being teammates with him.

"Sasuke's grades were the best of all twenty-seven graduates," I watched as Iruka's teeth ground together in obvious frustration. "And yours, Naruto, were dead last. You do understand that we have to balance the teams, right?"

Sasuke's grades were the best... and Naruto's were the worst... I wondered where that left mine on the scale. I wasn't bad, but I knew I wasn't the best. What would Father think of this? He probably wouldn't be very happy.

"Bah." Sasuke murmured at Naruto. "At least the Hyuuga won't get in my way." I turned my head and glanced at the two to find Sasuke glaring ahead and Naruto glaring at him.

I bit my bottom lip, worry wrinkling my brow. I really hoped that this would work out, even with the obvious tension between Naruto and Sasuke.

"This afternoon," Iruka went on, ignoring the boys. "We'll introduce you to your Jounin sensei's. Until then, take a break.

_III_

It was chilly outside, even with my jacket on. I had the hood pulled up to my head to protect against the cold, damp air, but it wasn't doing much. I felt like the humidity was just soaking into my clothes and weighing me down. It was like drowning without being anywhere near the ocean. I sighed.

I was hoping to use this break to get to know my teammates. Not that I had the nerve to actually approach one of them and ask, I wasn't an instigator, but I had assumed that it would just happen. It made the most sense. My mistake.

I sighed again, playing with my fingers and leaning against the wall. I wasn't sure why I was outside. I simply followed the flow of people and ended up out here, but it wasn't like there was actually anything for me to do. It would be pretty lonely for me to go back and sit alone in the classroom for the rest of the break, but it was also lonely to just stand here leaning against the wall.

At least it was warmer inside. That was a plus.

I pushed myself off the faded brick and stumbled down the pathway back in the direction of the classroom. There weren't many people around, but even so I could feel the eyes of those who stayed on the grounds. I was the lone Hyuuga, like usual. I hoped it didn't have anything to do with my personality. Maybe people found me annoying. I should try harder.

I kept my eyes on the ground, and even so, nearly stepped on the remnants of a half-eaten rice ball. I wondered to myself who would leave such a mess on the ground. Seems like something Naruto would do, but I hadn't seen him since break began. Hmm. Sasuke had a rice ball with him as he sauntered out on break though.

I paused, my heart beating in my ears. A muffling sound had reached it's way to my sensitive tympanic membrane. I glanced around, noting the open window near where I stood. It had an awning over it, like the ones that covered the food stands near the school. I heard the muffled sound again and realized it was coming from inside the window. I took a tentative step closer to investigate. I peered my head through the opening, my breath hitching at what I saw.

"S-sasuke-san?"

He was on the floor, tied and gagged with tape over his mouth. His head shifted just enough for him to make eye contact with me, glaring like it was my fault that he was stuck in such a position.

I froze. What had happened? Was he okay? Should I help him? What if the person who did this was still in there? What if they got me too? Memories of an event long ago touched the surface of my mind and my hands started shaking.

A muffled grunting caught my attention and I looked back at Sasuke. He had an onyx eyebrow raised, as if asking "Are you gonna help me or not?"

I squeaked, scrambling over the wooden sill in a hurry. I stumbled onto the floor next to him, panicking a bit as I kneeled over him to help. My hands still shook as I undid the bindings; however, luckily I didn't even have to undo them the entire way. As soon as they were loose enough, Sasuke pushed me away and took them off himself. He ripped the tape off his mouth without so much as flinching and then got up and stomped out of the room. I sat there silently for a brief moment, unsure of what just happened.

Blinking, I pushed myself up and I ran off to find Sasuke. He hadn't gotten far, of course. It wasn't like he was in a hurry, but he did seem to still be stomping. The childlike act didn't suite usual composed and adult-like demeanor, and I almost giggled at the sight.

"S-sasuke-san?" I huffed, catching up to him. "What h-h-happened?" I was out of breath and still a bit unnerved, making my stutter worse than normal.

"It's none of your business." He brushed me off verbally, which in itself was better than ignoring me completely, like he did with most people. It was probably because I was his teammate that he offered such a courtesy.

"But S-sasuke-"

"Oh Sasuke-kun, you're so shy!" I was cut off by a blushing Sakura. She stood near a bench covered on one end with a half eaten bento box, holding her curled hands up to her cheeks in excitement. She didn't seem to notice me at all as she approached the dark haired boy. "I hope you are ready now? I sure am!" She addressed Sasuke with a nodding head, giggling.

"I have to go," he grumbled. "Where's Naruto?"

She waved off his question, giggling. "Hehe. Don't change the subject. Who cares about Naruto? All he does is goof off and fight." She continued, not noticing Sasuke brushing past her. "Well, it's not like he had a normal childhood. He doesn't even have parents." Sasuke stopped at this, tensing at her comment. "He can do whatever he wants. If I acted like that, my parents would ground me for months. He's so lucky, all alone, parents never saying what to do and what not to do." I took a stumbling step back and Sasuke turned his head to Sakura, an unnerving gleam shining in his eyes. He was upset, but she didn't even notice. "That's why he always makes trouble.

Sasuke glared at her, finally speaking in a quiet, menacing tone. It caused frightened chills to run down my spine. "The feeling of having your parents yell at you... it's nothing compared to what he feels."

"Huh? What's wrong Sasuke-kun?" Sakura took a step back, matching the distance I had with him.

"You're annoying." He smirked cruelly while saying this before turning and walking off to continue his search of Naruto.

Sakura didn't move for what seemed to be eons. I don't even think she realized I was there until I spoke. "That feeling you h-have right now." Her head whipped toward me. "It's p-probably what Naruto feels like all the t-time."

She pondered this for a moment before gathering what was left of her bento box from the bench and wandering away, mumbling to herself, "Maybe next time I can be a little nicer to him."

I paused, unsure of whether or not I should go back inside or follow Sasuke. I chose the latter, not feeling comfortable being alone quite yet, and curious about what had happened to the Uchiha. "S-sasuke!" I called out, hurrying to him.

"hn." He didn't look my way as he continued walking, purpose decorating his steps.

"Y-you..." I paused, matching his pace. I didn't want him mad at me, but I felt this had to be said. "You didn't h-have to be so cruel to her."

"She didn't have to be a moron," he grumbled back. "and why are you following me, Hyuuga?" He glanced at me, annoyance in his eyes.

I looked down at the ground, blushing at the direct eye-contact. _I upset him._ "W-well. We are t-team mates, right?"

I wasn't sure how that was an explanation, but he seemed to accept it.

"hn"

_III_

"So this is where Naruto lives?" _Huh, this milk went bad a couple days ago._

_ "_Yes. He isn't very smart, but I think giving them all to you is best. You have a nose for these types.

"_Them_? Anyone else interesting on my team then?"

"Of course. You will take charge of Sasuke of _the _Uchiha clan and Hiashi's oldest daughter, the young Hyuuga heiress. Oh, and Kakashi? Good luck."

"Yes, sir."

_III_

**Alexei: Now, I assure you that I intend to continue this fic; however, only after I wrap up my previous project. I just wanted to throw this first chapter out there to fish a bit for interested readers. So, while yes, I will continue this, I cannot give an accurate estimation as to when this will become my main focus. Until then, feel free to review and follow. It'll give me insentive.**


	2. Hatake, Kakashi

**Alexei: I finally finished my other project! Then of course I was torn between wanting to do this and having a couple other ideas, but of course I had already started this one and I couldn't back down. I can almost guarantee that this will go on hiatus a couple times simply due to the sheer length of the series that I plan to follow. I'm thinking a chapter of the manga per chapter in this fic and we all know that there are a lot of chapters in the manga. Luckily though, there will be chapters that I can simply skip over just because of what they focus on (ie. Other characters, flashbacks). I plan on listing what chapter in the manga the timeline follows.**

**Disclaimer: I think that disclaimers are an incredible sad statement about our society. Nonetheless, nothing that I write can or should be construed as having been actually said by anyone. Ever.**

**Chapter 2 – "Hatake, Kakashi"**

**This Chapter Follows: Chapter 4 of the manga**

_/_

Naruto poked his head out the class room door for the fifth time with a, "Hmmm…" He swiveled his cranium around, causing his spiky blond hair to swish around as he searched the halls. His mouth was turned down in an annoyed frown.

"Why is our team 7 sensei…" he began, turning his angry expression at me and Sasuke, who were both sitting quietly at our own desks; not right next to each other, but not across the classroom either. "…so damn late?!"

"All the other teams have gone off with their sensei's-" he huffed, crossing his arms and hunching over, glaring off to the side with a pouting expression. "-and Iruka sensei already left." With that, he hopped over to Iruka's desk, grabbing a chair and one of the erasers from the blackboard. He dragged the chair over to the open classroom door, climbing on it to reach the top.

"N-Naruto? What are y-you doing?" I leaned forward in my desk, watching as he placed the eraser face down at the top of the opening. He slid the door shut enough to hold it there then jumped down, chuckling.

"That's what he gets for being late." He didn't even bother to move the chair as he skipped his way around the classroom, pausing at my desk for a high-five. With a blush, I reached out to tentatively tap his palm when Sasuke interrupted his celebration.

"Pfft." The Uchiha rolled his eyes over his carefully interwoven fingers. "Like a jounin would fall for such a stupid booby trap."

I glanced over as the door creaked. A gloved hand snaked its way through the opening in the door, and a man stepped into the room, crossing the threshold as the eraser fell. It hit the top of his head with a thud, puffing out chalk on impact.

The man was fair-skinned, and looked like a fit and relatively tall shinobi. He had spiky white hair and dark-colored eyes. He donned the standard shinobi attire and wore short metal-plated gloves. His forehead protector was attached to a simple blue band and tilted to the left to cover one of his eyes. He had on a black mask, obscuring the lower-half of his face.

"WhaHahahahahaha!" Naruto laughed, pointing at the silver haired man. "You fell for it. You fell for it!"

"S-sensei?" I stood up from my desk, surprised. Was this truly a jounin?

"Hmm, how can I say this?" The man murmured to himself, drawing his thumb and forefinger along his chin in thought. "My first impression is… I don't like you guys."

/

"Well, let's begin with introducing ourselves." The man leaned against the railing surrounding the perimeter of the roof he brought us to. There were trees planted behind us and the sun was shining high in the sky with only a few clouds blotting the blue expanse.

Naruto, Sasuke, and I sat in front of our new teacher expectantly. Naruto leaned forward with a wide grin on his face, eager, while Sasuke, who, despite leaning forward as well, looked bored with his chin resting against his interlaced fingers. I sat off to the side from the other two, tucking my knees up to my chin and hugging them tightly.

"What k-kind of things d-do you want to know?" I asked quietly, swallowing as my new teammates looked at me.

The man shrugged, putting his palms up. "How about your likes, dislikes… your dreams for the future… things like that."

"Hey, hey!" Naruto yelled, causing me to flinch at the volume. "You look kind of suspicious! Tell about yourself first!"

"Oh… me?" The man looked bored, like he had answered these questions a million times before. "Well, my name is Hatake, Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future… hmm… and I have lots of hobbies…"

_Hatake… I know that name. Where do I know that name from?_

"So basically," Sasuke murmured next to me, pulling me from my internal search for answers. I seemed to be the only one who noticed him speaking at all. "All he told us was his name." he glanced over at me searching for confirmation of his observation, and I blushed in return, nodding and turning back to the man called Kakashi.

"Now it's your turn," our sensei announced, waving his hand to gesture in Naruto's direction. "Let's start on the right."

I let out a relieved breath, happy to not have to go first.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled. "My name is Uzumaki, Naruto! What I like is cup ramen! What I like even more is when Iruka sensei pays for my ramen!" I smiled at how the simple things in life made my new team mate happy, and as another plus, I knew what I would bring on missions now. "What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the ramen to cook, and my dream…" he paused, adjusting his headband and donning a determined expression. "Is to surpass the Hokage and then have the people of the village acknowledge my existence!" Our sensei looked as surprised as I felt. Here I was, not even sure of my ability to succeed my father as clan head and Naruto had his sights set on Hokage.

"Hobbies…" Naruto pondered allowed. "Pranks, I guess."

Kakashi didn't hesitate in continuing as Naruto finished off, gesturing to Sasuke with a, "Next."

"My name is Uchiha, Sasuke," The quiet boy next to me began. "There are many things I dislike and I don't really like anything." His answers seemed to confirm my earlier assessment of his dark demeanor. "And… I can't really call it a dream… but I have an ambition; the resurrection of my clan and… to kill a certain man."

I stared at my comrade, this new revelation soaking in. It baffled me, his answers. Even as shinobi in training, to want to kill someone already at this point... Of course, I knew the history of his clan, most everyone in the village did, and I could only assume it had something to do with his ambitions, but to see, to feel, the hatred seeping out of him in that moment terrified me.

"Okay," Kakashi spoke, not acknowledging his pupil's dark answers. "Lastly, the girl."

I swallowed. Before I had even realized it, it was my turn to speak, and I didn't even know what I was going to say.

"Umm, m-my name is Hyuuga, H-Hinata… The things I-I like are…" I trailed off a moment before continuing. "And umm, my d-dream for the future… uh…" I panicked, stuttering my way through my half-finished sentences. "My h-hobby…" I wondered what that was myself. I spent virtually all of my free time training with my father or sister. I hadn't really been granted _time_ to develop a hobby. Kakashi seemed to notice my trouble and cut me off before I could embarrass myself any further.

"Okay!" He snapped his fingers. "That'll be it for the introductions." He shifted his weight so that he was leaning on the one foot he had planted on the ground, while the other continued to rest on the railing he sat on. "Tomorrow, we will start our duties as shinobi."

"Yeah!" Naruto stood, bringing a hand to his forehead in salute. "What kinds of duties?!" He didn't wait for an answer, instead babbling on. "Duties! Duties!"

Kakashi crossed his arms, shifting his weight again. "First, we are going to do something with just the four of us."

"What is it? What is it?" Naruto's eager questions reflected mine and Sasuke's curiosity.

"Survival training. It won't be normal training either. This time, I am your opponent." Our leader broke off, chuckling.

"Sensei? W-what's s-so funny?"

"Well, it's just that," he broke off again, laughing. "When I tell you this you guys are totally going to freak out."

Naruto was unusually quiet as he asked, "Freak out?"

I swore I could see Kakashi grinning under his mask as he leaned forward into his palm to explain. "Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen to become genin. The rest will go back to the academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over 60%."

Oh, no. If I fail, father will probably punish me for being so incompetent.

"I told you that you would freak out."

Really, Naruto was the only one who showed any physical signs of distress. Sasuke remained unchanged, and I did a rather good job of hiding my dread, if I could be allowed to compliment myself.

"What? No way!" Naruto burst out. "But we worked so hard! What was the point of graduation, then?!"

"Oh, that was just to select those who have the chance to become genin.

"What?!"

"Anyway, tomorrow you have to show your real skills on the training ground. Bring all the shinobi tools you have. Oh, and skip breakfast. You might throw up."

I can't fail here. If I fail, I'll dishonor my clan.

Kakashi stood, handing us each a piece of hastily scribbled instructions of crumpled papers. "The details are on these papers," He said. "And don't be late tomorrow."

After skimming over its contents, I folded my paper neatly and stuck it in my back pocket. Sasuke crumpled his even further, not even giving it a glance, and Naruto gripped his so tight it started tearing in the center.

/

"Hey, guys. Good morning!"

"You're late!" Naruto yelled. I flinched as the rough timbre of his voice scratched against my eardrums.

Kakashi ignored him, pulling out an alarm clock and placing it on the stump next to him. "This is set for noon," he elaborated, then pulled out two small, spherical objects hanging on strips of ribbon from his pocket. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before the time is up. Those who don't have a bell by noon get not lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of these stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

That would explain why he told us not to eat breakfast. I felt a bit guilty. I had a bowl of simple white rice, thinking that it wouldn't upset my stomach and I'd have energy for today.

"You only have to get one bell, but there are only two. One of you will definitely be tied to the stump."

Hearing Kakashi repeat this, I resolved to help Naruto and Sasuke each get a bell, because I knew I could make it without the meal whereas they would probably appreciate it much more.

Kakashi grinned, seeming to read my mind. "And one more thing. The person who doesn't take a bell fails the test, so at least one of you will be sent back to the academy."

My resolve wavered, but didn't crumble. Of course, I knew I'd be disappointing father and my clan, but I also knew Sasuke had the skills to surpass both Naruto and I combined as a shinobi, and Naruto had tried to so hard that taking that away from him would be cruel of me. Besides, I could always try again next year.

I stood a little straighter, taking a deep breath. I _will_ help my teammates.

Kakashi continued, oblivious to my inner battle. "If you want, you can use shurikens and kunais. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

"Isn't t-that dangerous?" I argued.

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed, though as he continued I knew he missed my point. "You're so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser! We will definitely kill you!"

"In the real world," Kakashi's voice sounded smug. "Those with no talent often bark the loudest. Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say-"

"N-naruto?!" I took a step forward to stop my team mate before a pale hand blocked me.

"Let the idiot try," Sasuke murmured, as Naruto pulled a kunai out of the pouch attached to his right thigh. He spun it into a tight grip and ran at Kakashi. He never made it because suddenly Kakashi was behind him, grabbing his wrist and pulling it back to point Naruto's own kunai at the back of his neck.

"Calm down," Kakashi sighed. "I haven't said start yet."

I didn't even see him move. Despite what first impressions may have led Naruto to believe, this man was definitely a jounin.

"It seems you're prepared to come at me with the intent to kill," he observed. "So, you've finally acknowledged me?" I shook his head, chuckling. "It seems like I'm beginning to like you guys. Begin."

/

**Alexei: I would like to reiterate that I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN I WILL UPDATE THIS. Anyone who's followed my previous fic know this syndrome of mine. I'll go through spurts and update multiple times a day, and then I won't update for months. As long as you know and accept this, I am sure we will get along splendidly.**

**I AM officially dubbing this my main fanfic focus, meaning I won't start any other series, though I may shoot out an occasional one-shot if the inspiration hits me.**


	3. Carelessness is Your Worst Enemy

**Alexei: You know what Alexei's do instead if working on their journalism articles? Alexei's write fanfiction!**

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved - but some wrongs are still available.**

**Chapter 3 - "Carelessness is Your Worst Enemy"**

**This Chapter Follows: Chapter 5-7 of the manga**

/

"The most important thing for a shinobi is to be able to hide yourself." I barely heard Kakashi talking to what seemed to just be himself as he shifted in his relaxed stance. Of course he knew we were close enough to hear him, but I hoped that we were well hidden enough so that he couldn't actually pinpoint our exact locations. His right hand reached up to gingerly rub the back of his neck as if this entire situation was just one big pain to him. With his previously exhibited demeanor towards us I wouldn't have been surprised if that were truly the case.

I took a silent, shallow breath as I held my own position in the shadows, low on the training ground. Pressed to the dirt under a large shrub, I was careful to continually focus on hiding any traces of my chakra from being detected by our opponent. That would be what Kakashi would be looking for to find us. Sasuke was doing the same, if his lack of noticeable presence was any indication. Naruto, however…

"Come here and fight me!" He stood not even ten feet from Kakashi, arms crossed across his chest as his booming voice echoed throughout the entirety of the training ground. "I said, fight me!" he repeated when our teacher didn't respond.

"Uhm…" The silver-haired man seemed unsure of how to approach my new boisterous blond teammate. "You're a little bit off…"

_No_, I thought to myself, disagreeing with Kakashi in the process. _He's brave_.

I sighed quietly, double checking to be sure that it went unnoticed. I seemed to.

_I wish I could be like Naruto_… _To be able to stand up for myself, or voice if I disagree… To say that I think something is wrong._

Another silent sigh.

Naruto grit his teeth, causing the whiskers on his cheeks to twitch, and made a sudden move toward the jounin, yelling, "THE ONLY THING THAT'S OFF A BIT IS YOUR HAIR CUT!"

Kakashi just nonchalantly glanced at him and casually stuck a hand into his well-worn hip pouch. Naruto stopped, skidding along the dirt and barely steadying himself in time to not fall flat on his face. He bent his knees slightly and took a deep, defensive stance, preparing himself for whatever our mysterious teacher had in mind for him.

"Shinobi fighting lesson number one: Taijutsu. I'll teach you about it."

_Taijutsu… That's hand to hand combat… but isn't he getting ready to pull out a weapon?_

On cue, Kakashi whipped his hand out of the pouch, revealing a book that I couldn't see the title of without activating my byakugan. Activating it meant releasing my chakra, which also meant revealing my location. I was in no position to attack, so hiding was my best option

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked the stupefied Naruto. "Hey?! What's with the book?!"

Kakashi shrugged, his gaze skimming the pages of his opened novel. "I want to know what happens next, but don't worry, it won't make a difference against you guys."

My mouth opened a bit in shock. Were we really that low of a level to him?

"I'LL TOTALLY KICK YOUR ASS!" Yes, apparently we were. Naruto attacked again and again, but Kakashi dodged as easily as if a toddler were coming at him.

The water splashed as Naruto landed into a nearby pool while Kakashi still leisurely read his book.

_He's a jounin. How on earth are we going to be able to beat him? _I grit my own teeth, much like Naruto had earlier. _Of course, if we could use Naruto as a distraction…_ I shook my head. Naruto liked doing things his way. The likelihood of even getting near him was virtually nonexistent because it meant going into the open and giving away my hiding spot. _Sasuke though… Iruka said he was the top in our class. If I could distract Kakashi long enough for Sasuke to sneak up on him…_

Suddenly, two shuriken burst out of the water, surprising me and going straight for the silver haired man. He caught them with ease, not even taking his eyes off the page, twirling the weapons on his fingers and chuckling.

_He's playing with Naruto,_ I realized. _He's pushing his buttons._

The next thing to come out of the pool was the said blond, coughing and sputtering on the muddy bank. He was soaked to the bone.

_He's going to get a cold._

"Hey, What's wrong?" Kakashi inquired, actually glancing up from his novel. "If you don't get a bell before noon you won't get lunch

"I know! I know!" Naruto insisted, squeezing his eyes together tightly to make his signature expression. I felt myself blushing at the sight of it.

"You sure are weak for someone who's going to surpass the hokage."

"I CAN STILL FIGHT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! I was just a little careless! That's all!"

"Carelessness can be your worst enemy, you know?" Kakashi walked away, completely exposing his back my soaked teammate. I half expected Naruto to attack him again, taking advantage of the perceived opening, but he just sat there on the ground shaking in what I assumed was frustration.

I watched, enthralled as suddenly water flew toward the sky. Eight other Narutos popped out of the pool behind the original, each pouncing toward Kakashi with more speed and agility than he had exhibited before.

_Those aren't illusions like what _we_ were taught to make in the academy,_ I realized. _They're all flesh and blood. That… That's a forbidden jutsu!_

_He's desperate_.

Normally being desperate made a person more prone to making a mistake, but I felt that in Naruto's case it might actually work to his advantage.

"Hah!" he yelled. "That's my new jutsu! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! You'd better not get careless 'cause there are more than one of me now!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear.

"Not just bunshins," Kakashi pondered aloud, not even paying attention to the ones coming toward him. "but Kage Bunshins: a skill that multiply's your body and not just an illusion." He shrugged. "You probably can only hold this for a minute. No matter how many you line up, you are still Naruto. You can't beat me with that jutsu."

I gasped. Suddenly, I saw what Naruto was really doing - What Kakashi didn't see because it was behind him.

Kakashi must've been alerted by my sound because, his head whipped around just as a ninth Naruto pounced onto his back. I covered my mouth, hoping that he would think that the noise just came from the other Naruto and was relieved as his attention didn't seem to stray to me.

"Weren't Shinobi not supposed to get caught from behind?!" The clone yelled from our teacher's back. "Right, Kakashi?!"

"I sent a Kage Bunshin out of the water," another chimed in, "to sneak up behind you!" Several of the clones latched on to various appendages, attempting to hold the all too compliant Kakashi in place.

_Naruto is very good, but… something is wrong… Kakashi isn't defending himself._

"This is payback!" I assumed it was the real Naruto that yelled as he threw himself at Kakashi, fist ready. "Here comes my revenge!"

His knuckles connected but it wasn't Kakashi they connected with.

_Naruto punched… himself?_

/

"You're Kakashi, aren't you?! You used Henge no Jutsu to transform!"

"It's you!"

"No, it's you!"

"It's not me, idiot!"

"You have Kakashi's old man smell!"

"What are you talking about?!"

It was like witnessing a street brawl, watching the group of Naruto's interrogate and attack each other. It had been going on for what seemed like a lifetime. As soon as Kakashi disappeared they all went after each other's necks. I worried about the condition of the original Naruto.

_I hope he's not hurt…_

"Hey, you know," one of them managed to yell above the already deafening rable. "Why don't you just release the jutsu? Then there will be only two left."

"You should have thought about that earlier, idiot!" the one gripping his jacket yelled back.

"I'm you! Moron!"

In a flash, all of the clones were gone, leaving a solitary Naruto standing alone on the training ground.

_none of them were Kakashi…_

Realization hit me like *Naruto's fist.

Kawarimi no Jutsu! Normally done by replacing one's body with an animal or a plant, it usually confuses the opponent long enough to create a chance to attack or escape. Kakashi switched his body with one of Naruto's clones. Not only did he confuse Naruto, but it also caused him to attack himself.

The Naruto left on the field snapped his head to the side suddenly, noticing something. I squinted my eyes to see the single bell laying in the dirt. It looked innocent enough, but I knew better. I'm sure that Sasuke knew better, and I hoped that Naruto -

Before I knew it, Naruto was hanging upside down on a nearby tree, probably the one that Kakashi had hidden himself in long enough to set up the trap. He had a thick rope knotted around both of his ankles.

"What the hell is this?!" Naruto yelled, bouncing around on the rope.

_I hope he doesn't hurt himself._

Kakashi stepped out from behind the tree, casually strolling over and scooping up the bell.

A subtle movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. I could just barely make out Sasuke shifting his position up in a tree near me. He was relatively well hidden behind a dense cover of leaves. That, added with the fact that Kakashi had his back turned to us and Naruto's complete lack of attention, led me to be sure that I was the only one who noticed him.

He crouched farther down in his hiding spot, analyzing the situation like I had been.

"Ah!" I looked back at Naruto, who was yelling at Kakashi.

"Think before using a jutsu," The silver haired man commented, "or it could be used against you, and also… Don't fall for such an obvious trap, stupid."

I looked back at Sasuke, who was reaching into his weapons pouch. I glanced back at Kakashi, seeing what Sasuke seemed to be seeing as well.

Kakashi looked completely off guard, oblivious to everything that wasn't Naruto's crazy antics. I knew better though. He JUST told Naruto not to fall for obvious traps. He wouldn't leave an opening that easily either. This was a jounin. He thought everything out.

Sasuke either didn't realize this or didn't care.

"S-sasuke..."

"A Shinobi must be able to see what's underneath the underneath," Kakashi continued lecturing the upside-down blond.

Sasuke crept a bit closer, getting a better angle of attack.

"S-sasuke…"

"I know that!" Naruto yelled, shaking his fists around.

"Uhm," Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I'm telling you this because none of you seem to know…"

"SASUKE! IT'S A TRAP!" my usually small voice screeched throughout the field. It was too late though. The kunai and shuriken were already whizzing through the air toward Kakashi's head.

Upon impact, Naruto yelled, "AH! No way! Sasuke, you bastard! You went too far!"

I didn't stay around to see what happened next. I made my escape as soon as I saw that it was no longer Kakashi there, but a log.

I was right. It _had_ been a trap, but in the process of trying to warn Sasuke I had given away both of our locations.

I made my escape and raced through the tops of the trees, making a wide berth around the training field. My goal was to make it to the opposite end from my original location. It was a simple, obvious plan, but I hoped that it was so obvious that Kakashi wouldn't even consider it. Of course I was wrong.

As I was nearing my destination, I spotted that said teacher straight ahead of me. He was standing nonchalantly in an open area, and reading his book. I landed silently on a nearby branch, keeping my heavy breathing as quiet as possible.

_Whew, he didn't notice me._

Looking more closely though, something seemed wrong. He was just attacked. Not only that but now he knew where Sasuke and I had been. It doesn't make sense that he wouldn't be in some sort of pursuit, yet there he was. Just reading…

Unless-

"Hinata, behind you."

I whipped my head around to find Kakashi not even two feet away from me. I sucked in a breath, when suddenly a storm of leaves was racing around me. It was like a tornado had appeared out of nowhere and surrounded us.

_What kind of Jutsu is this? _I thought to myself. _What is the point? _

It didn't seem to be offensive. A distraction?

Kakashi disappeared into the gust of leaves, escaping my field of vision. As the winds calmed down I was left alone, with only a few stray leaves fluttering nearby.

"W-what?" I looked around, but couldn't find any sign of the mysterious silver-haired man. "S-sensei?"

"Hinata…"

I heard my name being called. Just barely a whisper on the wind making it's way past my ear.

_That voice…_

"N-naruto?" I followed the sound of my name being called, unusually quiet for the boisterous bond. "Naruto, w-where are you?"

I didn't have to search long. I stumbled, almost tripping over his leg.

I covered my mouth, shocked at what I was seeing.

"N-naruto?!" He was covering in blood, more so than I had previously seen. shuriken and kunai stuck out of almost every inch of his body, making him hardly recognizable. His limbs were twisted at odd angles, like a towel that had been twisted out to dry and left there. I felt sick to my stomach as more dark blood dripped from his lips while he continued to cough out my name in another plea for help.

_No!_ _Kakashi wouldn't do that! We may be ninja in training, but we're just children! He couldn't!_

I felt myself becoming faint. _no… he wouldn't…_

_He wouldn't…_

_He wouldn't?_

_He wouldn't!_

I tore my eyes away from my bleeding teammate. It took all of my strength to not pass out at the sight, but I had to. It wasn't real.

Genjutsu, A form of hypnotism often used to distract one's opponent and render them unable to defend themselves. Most ninja can't even tell the difference, but…

"Byakugan!"

Suddenly, I was alone again. No Kakashi. No Sasuke. No bleeding Naruto.

I sighed, leaning against the tree and holding my head. I could see everything within a fifty meter radius. It was enough to know that Kakashi wasn't close enough to detect my well hidden chakra. Well, he probably could, but not enough to suspect I had broken his genjutsu. I almost smiled. I beat the teacher at something.

I could see him, just barely at the edge of my visual range. He wasn't alone however, Sasuke was with him. they were…

Fighting.

Kakashi was actually defending himself. He wasn't simply toying with Naruto or tricking me. He was actually defending himself against Sasuke's advances.

Of the three of us, I knew that Sasuke had the highest chance of the actually getting the bells. I was willing to bet that if I could cause a distraction, he'd be able to grab it.

Yes, That's what I'd do. I would help Sasuke. I deactivated my byakugan; having already located my destination, I didn't want to risk getting detected before I could be of help. My strides were light, barely touching the branches, and making no noise whatsoever. I wasn't good at much, but I could definitely sneak. I arrived on the outskirts of the open area just as a huge flame shot out. I covered my sensitive eyes and as the field cleared again all I saw was Sasuke.

_Huh? _Where was Kakashi?

Not in front…

Not behind…

Not above...

Not on the side…

I quickly activated my Byakugan, just to be sure. Gasping, I yelled, "S-sasuke! Below you!"

Sasuke jumped. Not like he was surprised to see me. He _jumped_ like he knew what I was saying, and just in time too. Kakashi's hand shot out of the ground and just barely grazed his sandals.

The hand disappeared, and Sasuke was suddenly right in front of me, his glare deadly to my self esteem. "I don't need your help."

"B-but-"

"I don't _need_ your help."

"Seems more like you just don't want it to me." Kakashi was leaning against a close by tree, once again nonchalantly reading his book. "I'm sure you don't want to admit it, but Hinata there just saved your ass." I blushed at the man's phrasing.

"I had it handled-"

"Gentle Fist!" I suddenly rushed at Kakashi, interrupting Sasuke in the process. He was in a close enough range that I could actually use the signature Hyuuga fighting style. Of course, I knew that I wouldn't actually be able to land any hits on someone of Kakashi's level, but it worked as a distraction I needed. It was a spontaneous plan, and I knew that it wouldn't be long before I was subdued.

That's what I was counting on.

I ended up kneeling with my feet still placed firmly on the ground in an uncomfortable position with my hands twisted and pinned against my back by Kakashi. Sasuke stood directly in front of us, an unimpressed expression dressing his features.

Perfect.

"What kind of attack was that supposed to be?" Kakashi began, I could hear his voice from behind me, which meant he couldn't see my face. More precisely my lips.

_Get the bell's,_ I mouthed to Sasuke before pushing my feet up and straightening my legs. It wasn't much, but it was enough to surprise Kakashi into loosening his grip so that I could get behind him and hook his elbows with my own. He sighed.

"Hinata, I already told you-"

_*Jing-a-ling_

Kakashi stopped mid sentence, then started laughing.

There stood Sasuke, examining one of the bells like it was no big deal.

I let go of Kakashi, taking a step away.

The silver-haired man put a palm on his head, still chuckling. He walked away, muttering to himself about going too easy on us.

It was only me and Sasuke left in the field. Without warning, he tossed the singular bell at me and, I fumbled a bit before securely catching it. "W-wha?"

"When I get a bell, it's going to be because I beat him, not because some stupid girl distracted him."

I couldn't respond to that. It hurt that he wouldn't accept my help. Of course, I already knew I wasn't good enough, but it hurt nonetheless.

"S-so, you're still g-going after a bell then?"

He nodded, turning away from me and walking ahead. I followed, gripping the bell in my hands like it the most important thing in the world. I got the feeling he would have preferred me to leave, but he didn't verbally tell me to, and that was enough for me.

It wasn't much longer before we could hear an alarm in the distance, signaling that it was already noon.

"Damn," I heard Sasuke mutter to himself. "Wasted too much time.

/

"You guys look really hungry," Kakashi observed as we all sat near the training log where our day had started. Well, Sasuke and I sat, Naruto was physically bound to the upright piece of wood, much to my confusion. "Oh, and by the way, there's no need for you guys to go back to the academy."

_Huh? But Naruto and I didn't even get bells._

Naruto yelled cheerily from his spot, "THEN! THEN ALL THREE OF US-"

"Yup, all three of you," Kakashi finished for him with a smile, "should quit as shinobi."

/

***for some reason, using "Naruto's Fist" instead of "ton of bricks" seemed like a hilarious idea. And it Rhymes!**

***I was TWO SECONDS from just typing "Tingle tingle." Do you know how hard it is to make a bell sound without sounding absolutely ridiculous?!**

**Alexei: Anyone who's actually read the manga will know that I left a little interaction between Naruto and Kakashi out. Personally, things like that don't suit my writing taste, so you can pretend it happened and that Hinata was so scarred that she didn't process the event.**

**On that same note, Halfway through writing this chapter I realized that Hinata doesn't really have an enormous role (yet). Not only did I realize that, I liked it as well. You see, the Hinata I've come to know and love isn't really an imposing person. She does things, small things, that make a difference in the long run, but she doesn't like to get in other's way. I don't really know if I'm explaining it right, but trust me. I got this.**

**Also, I TOLD YOU SO! my updates are random and erratic. I apologize for that, but I'm like a stubborn old man set in my ways. Trying to change me is a futile cause.**


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